Disappearing Landscapes

CompanySheryl Maree Reily Photography

PhotographerSheryl Maree Reily

PrizeHonorable Mention

Entry Description

A surge in large scale resort and real estate development threatens the delicate desert and coastal environments of Baja California Sur, Mexico. The 'Disappearing Landscapes' series, seeks to document and memorialize the landscape before it disappears. This selection of images was collected from the desert landscape surrounding Punto Lobos.
The stunning coastline of Punta Lobos, Baja, is the future site of a colossal real estate development intended to accommodate 11,000 tourists and an unspecified number of support staff. The project borders the community of Todos Los Santos, population 6,500. Water is a scarce resource in a desert environment. This location has long provided food and economic sustenance for the local Ejido fishing cooperative, and it serves as habitat for migratory animals. The project requires the acquisition of water rights, the diversion of the aquifer, the construction of a desalination plant and the disruption of coastal and desert ecosystems.

About Photographer

Sheryl Maree Reily is an award winning photographer and cross media artist whose work advocates for human and environmental health. She is a member of ASMP and her images are distributed worldwide via Getty Images.